Can a single be an album? Can an album exist if it is never formally acknowledged as such? In the curious case of White Denim's rollout of "Crystal Bullets / King Tears" as a 12", the answer is yes. 

The Austin band dropped the pair of tunes digitally at the end of July. Shortly thereafter when the vinyl version appeared in stores, as needle hit groove, unsuspecting fans were greeted to the realization that a nine-song effort was bestowed upon them, getting far more than they bargained for in the best way possible. While White Denim's website proudly promotes the single, as far as I can tell the only acknowledgment from James Petralli and co. that it is in fact a proper album, is courtesy of a single tweet in reply. 

Still not fully available digitally, I may never have heard the whole record without the serendipity of stumbling into a rip of the vinyl. One of the better albums I've heard this year, I can only hope it reaches a wider audience. The marketing tactics, or lack thereof, are fascinating. Perhaps that's the point. Maybe every so often, we can have nice things. 

"Crystal Bullets / King Tears" is as White as the Denim gets in Petralli's world. Who knows if/when this would be 11th full-length LP will get a release in any other format. Whatever it is, it is undoubedtly a worthy addition to their impressive catalogue of catchy groove rock.